How does Dr. Britt keep up to date on all of the current techniques and materials?

Dr. Britt is highly committed to maintaining a state-of-the-art practice. This means spending considerable time investing in ongoing education, keeping herself current on the latest advances in the industry, and attending hands-on courses to learn specific restorative and cosmetic techniques. She is also a current and active member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, enabling her to stay up-to-date with the latest advances in the specialized aspects of cosmetic procedures. In addition to keeping up with her own ongoing education, Dr. Britt ensures that her team stays well-versed in the latest techniques required for carrying out their specific roles.

I'm so used to my smile, I take it for granted. How can a 'Smile Analysis' help me determine what changes would be most beneficial?

Thorough smile analysis helps uncover hard-to-articulate aspects of your smile. Your feelings about it allow us to determine which treatments or procedures would be most appropriate for creating change. Typically, analysis involves both emotional questions-- to determine how your smile affects your self-image, your interactions with others and your relationships; and objective questions-to determine what structural/physical aspects of your smile concern you. You can even try answering these at home before you visit!

To do an emotional smile evaluation, ask yourself the following questions:

• How do you feel about your smile?
• Do you love its appearance?
• Does it make you feel confident?
• Or, do you turn away from people while smiling, or hide your mouth with your hand while talking?
• Do you cover your smile with your lips, or refrain from letting yourself smile fully in front of others?
• Do you close your mouth to smile for pictures?
• Do you hold back your true laugh so that your smile will not show?
• Are you embarrassed by the condition of your teeth, or by the length of time that has passed since you have seen a dentist?
• Have you ever wished that you had someone else's smile?
• How would a new, beautiful smile make you feel about yourself and about life?
• What would you like to change about it in order to make it seem 'beautiful' to you?

To do an objective smile evaluation, stand in front of a mirror using your normal smile. Now, think of something truly funny, and give yourself a big, laughing smile. If you are unhappy with your smile or your teeth, you probably do not use that smile very often. But, you could freely use such a contagious, happy smile if you felt confident about it! So, ask yourself the following questions:

• What color are your teeth-white, yellow, darkened or badly stained?
• Are there spaces or missing teeth anywhere?
• Are any teeth crooked, uneven, or out of alignment?
• Do they slant one way or the other?
• Do the biting edges of your upper teeth follow your lips' curvature?
• Are the edges even with each other, or are some too long or too short?
• Do the edges of your canine teeth look too long, sharp, or out of line?
• Do you grind your teeth?
• Are the edges chipped or worn?
• Are any teeth too short, fat, small or large?
• Does the midline of your two front teeth center with your face and nose?
• Does your smile show too much gum, thick gums, receding gums, puffy gums or uneven gums?
• Do you have silver/mercury fillings in any teeth?
• Do you have old, unnatural-looking crowns with darkened edges?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you will be happy to know that we have answers for you. Read more about our services, or contact us today to share your answers with us, and obtain our professional evaluation.

After conducting this kind of Smile Analysis, what is involved in Smile Design?

Smile Design involves these important steps.

• Dental conference. After an initial smile analysis, we conduct a dental conference to discuss your tailored treatment plan. Your tailored treatment plan is created to accommodate the goals for your smile.
• Artistic Design. In any case, we strive to create a smile that accurately conveys your unique personality, in keeping with your gender, age and facial features. When we are finished, the new restorations will be undetectable. All that you will see is a healthy, happy new smile that will not quit.

This kind of Smile Design is simple to explain and extremely technical to perform. That is why it is so critical to choose a professional dentist such as Dr. Britt, who has obtained advanced training in the latest techniques and materials of restorative and cosmetic dentistry. In fact, Smile Design is not taught in dental school, but requires post-graduate training, extensive hands-on experience and incredible dedication to confidently apply both the artistic and scientific knowledge involved in successful, lasting smile work.

How can I safely whiten my teeth?

Tooth whitening is one of the simplest forms of cosmetic dentistry available today. At our office, we offer two methods, both using the revolutionary ZOOM® treatment. If you would like to obtain up to 8 shades of whitening in just one hour, you may elect to undergo this treatment in our office; or, if you prefer a take-home kit, we offer the new three day ZOOM® 'Weekender' kit-- using the same patented ingredients and usually resulting in about a 6 shade improvement.

Remember, it is important that we have a brief consultation prior to your choosing a whitening system, since some people are better candidates than others for the treatment. For example, if your teeth are darkened to a yellow, brown or orange tinge due to age, coffee, tea or smoking, chances are very good that teeth whitening will bring lasting, satisfactory results. However, if your teeth are a dark gray tone from fluorosis or tetracycline use, whitening results may be a bit less dramatic; further, whitening does not lighten resins, silicants, porcelains or other synthetic materials. Ask us how even teeth that may not be whitened with the ZOOM® method can be transformed into beautiful teeth through cosmetic dentistry.

I want my front teeth to look better, but I do not want to wear braces. Can you help me?

Dr. Britt has a number of ways to improve the look of your front teeth without the use of braces. For slightly crooked or unevenly worn teeth, a bit of reshaping and the addition of porcelain veneers may be sufficient to give them a bright, uniform look. In more pronounced cases, it may be necessary to recommend an invisible braces technique. Ask us which option best suits your individual situation.

I really do not like visiting the dentist, is there anything you can do to help me relax?

You are not alone. Many people have qualms about having dentistry provided, so we strive to create a relaxed atmosphere. First, your entire dental team is trained to be alert and aware of your concerns, so that we can make your visit as comfortable as possible. Second, take advantage of several entertaining distractions to help you enjoy yourself during your treatment such as watching your favorite DVD on our overhead televisions or listening to your favorite music. For procedural concerns or anxiety, nitrous oxide is available to you upon request and can be used as needed to help you undergo the treatment itself. During your first appointment, we will spend plenty of time going over such concerns with you, and then your treatment will be planned accordingly!

Crowns, Onlays, Inlays, Veneers & Partials. Can you tell me more about these procedures?

With today's technology, materials, and advanced techniques, you have many options for restoring weak, broken, chipped, discolored and/or missing teeth, bringing your smile back to its original shape and function. For example, an all-porcelain crown can be applied, somewhat like a 'cap', to cover the entire outside of the problem tooth. Crowns are also helpful to cover large areas of decay after they have been filled. Or, for smaller areas of decay, all-porcelain onlays or inlays can be used. These are similar to crowns, but retain more natural tooth structure. For unattractive front teeth, we can create pretty, natural shapes and shades by applying paper-thin porcelain veneers to the fronts of your teeth. If you are missing a number of front or side teeth, we can create a removable partial denture, designed for either the upper or lower jaw, made of all acrylic or all metal. They are attached to existing teeth by means of precision acrylic clasps and must be removed for cleaning, after eating, as well as for sleeping. For more information on any of these procedures, please feel free to talk with Dr. Britt during your visit.

My breath has a terrible odor, even though I brush every day. What can I do about it?

Millions of people struggle with halitosis, or bad breath, despite daily teeth brushing. Here is a checklist of procedures that can eliminate the problem: twice daily brushing, daily flossing, and tongue cleaning; regular professional care, and careful cleaning of any dentures or removable dental appliances. However, if your hygiene is meticulous and the problem persists, we can offer several over-the-counter solutions. First, you can use a special breath kit made by Breath Rx. This kit includes a plastic tool called a tongue scraper that cleans away bacterial build-up on your tongue ten times more effectively than just brushing your tongue. It also significantly alleviates odor. The kit also includes a portable mouth spray containing an ingredient designed to actually destroy the odor-causing sulfides that cause bad breath. Of course, if we suspect a systemic or internal problem such as an infection or underlying condition, we may recommend a visit with your family physician or specialist to identify and treat the cause.

What about payment options for my part of the bill?

You have your choice of several payment options: cash, check, Visa, MasterCard, Discover or American Express. If you desire to set up an easy payment plan for more extensive work, we encourage you to obtain interest-free financing through one of our partners offering monthly payment plans.

We are pleased to offer both Capital One and CareCredit to our patients.

Capital One is a convenient, no initial payment, low monthly payment plan for dental treatments of $300 to $25,000. Offering Capital One allows us to make the smile you have always wanted affordable. For those patients who desire to pre-pay their fees, we also extend a courtesy allowance. When you come in for your consultation, we will discuss your payment preferences as they pertain to your particular treatment options prior to any treatment.

CareCredit™ is a flexible patient/client payment program, specifically designed for healthcare expenses, that makes it easier for you to get the treatment or procedures you want and need. CareCredit™ is ideal for co-payments, deductibles, treatment and procedures not covered by insurance, and can be used at over 45,000 practices nationwide.

Do you accept referrals?

Yes, we do accept referrals from other dental offices as well as from recommendations by our patients to their families and friends.